Editorial: Homeland front in war on terror

Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10:45 AM.

The shooting in
Orlando
of a murder suspect and the brutal murder in
London
of a British soldier in late May show that homegrown terrorism is an ever-growing challenge in the post-bin Laden era.

Two men, including British-born suspect Michael Adebolajo, on May 22 attacked a British soldier in the Woolwich area of
London
. The soldier was hacked to death with knives and machetes.

British police captured the two men on the spot. Evidence suggests the men are Islamic extremists influenced by a radical Muslim cleric.

That same day, an FBI agent shot and killed Ibragim Todashev,
27, in
Orlando
,
Fla.
, as they questioned him about a triple murder in
Waltham
,
Mass.

The FBI was also interested in Todashev because he was reportedly a friend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a shootout with
Massachusetts
police after he was fingered for the marathon bombing.

Tsarnaev was an Islamic fundamentalist who may have been motivated by violent jihad and a desire for revenge for the
U.S.
invasions of
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
.

The British and
U.S.
suspects are the latest in a wave of terrorists born or raised in the West, but who have anger and frustration with Western policy in the
Middle East
. However, the largest motivation for these men appears to be violent jihad — the belief that Islam must be advanced or defended by violent means.

The shooting in Orlando of a murder suspect and the brutal murder in London of a British soldier in late May show that homegrown terrorism is an ever-growing challenge in the post-bin Laden era.

Two men, including British-born suspect Michael Adebolajo, on May 22 attacked a British soldier in the Woolwich area of London. The soldier was hacked to death with knives and machetes.

British police captured the two men on the spot. Evidence suggests the men are Islamic extremists influenced by a radical Muslim cleric.

That same day, an FBI agent shot and killed Ibragim Todashev, 27, inOrlando, Fla., as they questioned him about a triple murder in Waltham, Mass.

The FBI was also interested in Todashev because he was reportedly a friend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a shootout with Massachusetts police after he was fingered for the marathon bombing.

Tsarnaev was an Islamic fundamentalist who may have been motivated by violent jihad and a desire for revenge for the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The British and U.S. suspects are the latest in a wave of terrorists born or raised in the West, but who have anger and frustration with Western policy in the Middle East. However, the largest motivation for these men appears to be violent jihad — the belief that Islam must be advanced or defended by violent means.

Some, like young American Omar Hammami, have left places like Daphne, Ala., and joined Islamic extremists in countries such as Somalia.

Radical Islam has many tentacles that stretch from al-Qaida elements in the Middle East through Africa and small cells in North America and into Russia’s many Muslim-dominated areas, including Chechnya.

The United Kingdom has a big problem with these radicals. Only recently did the British government win the right to deport radical cleric Abu Qatada back to Jordan, where he will face terrorism charges.

But the larger problem is that the United States, the United Kingdom and other Western nations are only now beginning to realize the dangers of homegrown terrorism.

True, the United States and the United Kingdom have been watching extremists in their own nations. But surveillance hasn’t stopped some of the attacks.

Adebolajo, for example, had been watched by British secret service for years. But the files on him did nothing to stop him from killing a British soldier on Thursday.

The United States also got caught unawares when Tsarnaev and his brother attacked the Boston Marathon on April 15, even though the FBI had regularly interviewed the older brother. The Russian government even warned the United States about Tsarnaev’s radicalism.

The challenge is how to stop these radicals when they have the rights of citizens and permanent residents.

It’s yet another front in the war against terrorism, and one that will require a carefully measured response in nations that hold dear personal liberties.